Electrical grounding is a fundamental electrical principle and an important step in protecting both people and a home. Through proper grounding, an electrical circuit is connected back into the ground in order to channel or redirect an electrical current in the event of a short circuit.
While the concept of electrical grounding may sound like something simple enough to do yourself in your Fort Collins home, you should always have a professional electrician in Fort Collins perform the work. Homeowners without specialized knowledge of circuitry and electrical code run the risk of improper installation and in turn create an additional safety risk. Before you attempt grounding on your own, consider some common mistakes that could easily be avoided with the help of a licensed and experienced electrician.
Why Is Electrical Grounding Needed?
Electrical grounding is used to reduce the risk of electric shock from the electricity flowing through your home’s wiring and circuitry system. Since the 1960s, electrical code has required circuits with three wires – a hot (black) wire, a neutral (white) wire, and a ground wire – to manage the negative and positive charges within the electrical current. During normal electrical operation, the electrical current travels in a loop from the hot wire and back to the neutral wire from where it naturally returns to the ground. However, in the event of a short circuit, the path of the electrical current becomes interrupted, sending the hot current through the materials within your home and increasing the risk of an electrical shock or even electrical fire.
A grounding wire allows for a safe redirection of an electrical current following a short circuit or if there is a problem in the circuitry. Electrical grounding that is installed correctly can protect you and your family along with protecting your home from the risk of an electrical fire and protect anything plugged into your outlets. Electrical grounding also prevents normal disturbances in the electrical current from affecting appliances, devices and other fixtures.
The Danger Of Improper Electrical Grounding
The importance and benefit of electrical grounding is obvious, but in many homes, electrical grounding has been improperly installed. Electrical grounding must be installed correctly in order to avoid making dangerous mistakes that could lead to electrocution or even fire. Inexperienced installation of a grounding system will make it difficult to ensure that an electrical hazard will be prevented.
The best way to be sure that your home has proper electrical grounding measures is to have a professional, licensed electrician make the installation or to trust in their experience and let them inspect the electrical system of your home. Electrical grounding that is not up to code will affect effectiveness and safety.
Some of the most commonly made mistakes from improper grounding installation include:
- Not knowing when a second ground is needed and required
- Incorrect installation of equipment-grounding conductors to system neutral
- Failing to attach a ground wire to electrical devices or attaching improperly
- Improper grounding installation for electrical devices, appliances, satellite dish, well pumps and more
- Incorrectly replacing non-grounding receptacles
- Failing to install required GFCIs
- Failing to ensure that metal pipes, conduit or wooden framing will not come in direct contact with exposed wires and/or ensuring there are not exposed wires
Electrical grounding is an extremely important component for any electrical system, making it just as important to be sure that all wiring and circuitry are up to date and up to code.
Hire a Professional Electrician
Peterson Electric provides professional electrical services for Fort Collins and the surrounding areas including electrical inspections and electrical grounding installation. In order to ensure the safety and security of your home, please call us at (970) 599-1872 or contact us online to schedule an appointment or discuss your electrical concerns.
